Adventures in Kanto
by Tari J. Deiter
Summary: Dan Santos promised to take Tyler Ketchum with him on his adventures in two years. But, when he doesn't return, Tyler has to start her own adventure. But first, she must get away from her father. On her way to Viridian City accompanied with an Arcanine she calls Sunwolf, she runs into an unlikely character. Book 1 of Regional Quest series.
1. Chapter 1

_Here is my rendition of Pokemon. Warning, some content may not be acceptable to all readers.  
_

_I do not own Pokemon. Tyler and Brody are mine. So is everyone else who isn't listed in the Pokemon database as a Trainer.  
_

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

There have been a lot of boys who came in and out of my life. Many of them to which I was attracted to. I basically flirted with all the boys in town, especially the cute ones. But none were quite as forgiving for my flirtatious attitude as Dan Santos.

Dan lived down the street from my house. He was a nice, burly boy with a to-die-for body, a swoon-inducing smile, calculative hazel eyes, and dark hair that made him all the more handsome. He was a fast talker and even faster with his hands. But, he was also wild and had a quick temper.

Because of his wild demeanor and quick temper, my mother used to warn me against the Santos men. There were five boys and four girls in all. Alex, Branden, Charlie, Dan, and Ethan, Felicia, Ginger, Hannah, and Ivory. All nine of them, except for Alex and Branden who were twins, had two years between them and were of varying sizes.

The boys were wild and crazy. The girls were wild and crazy, too, but they never got caught by Officer Jenny like the boys did. Dan somehow managed to avoid getting detained. Alex, Branden, and Charlie weren't so lucky. Ethan was the only one who didn't have a criminal background as of yet.

Maybe that's what attracted me to Dan Santos. There was something about a bad boy that got me thinking about him. Mom didn't want me to be with them but I was stubborn a curious, two things that should never mix for a kid my age.

During the day, after finishing my chores around the Pokemon Rehabilitation Center, people could usually find me with the Santos brothers. I liked being in the company of men. I felt safe, even with these wild boys. But, I felt particularly safe with Dan.

We would run around, climb trees, pretend we were Pokemon Trainers - something not unheard of since kids everywhere could be a Pokemon Trainer when they reached the age of ten. At the end of the day, I always came home in a state that sent Mom into a tizzy.

"Tyler, why are your knees skinned?" "Tyler, why are your pants torn?" "Tyler, why are you all wet?" "Tyler, Mrs. Vejeeta saw you with the Santos boys! I told you I don't want you hanging out with them!"

"But Mom! They're so much fun to be around!" I would protest.

Brody would just stand in the doorway and shake his head at me. Brody was the more sensible one. At least he listened to Mom's orders.

My name is Tyler Ketchum. In case you couldn't tell, I'm actually a girl. Yeah, that's right, I'm a girl with a boy's name. As it turns out, the name Tyler is actually neutral. And it was the name my parents decided upon when Mom was pregnant with me.

"Tyler, boy or girl."

Either way, I was stuck with it.

My parents wanted names unique to our area of the world. The Kanto region had too few Brodys and only one female Tyler before I came along. After I was born, my parents were done with having more children. The major factor being the Kanto region was now over-populated. I've heard of some families having twelve kids. So my parents were stuck with the two of us. Brody and Tyler. Two of a kind.

Maybe that's what Dan liked best about me.

I wasn't like the other girls in the neighborhood. Hell, I wasn't even like his sisters. Sure, his sisters were wild and crazy, but I was quicker at keeping up with Dan and his brothers. Felicia, Ginger, Hannah, and Ivory couldn't keep up with the boys. I could. The other girls in the neighborhood couldn't keep up with them either. Also, when I flirted with the boys, they knew I was doing it but it wasn't near as awkward as when the neighborhood girls did it.

Of course, Alex and Brandon didn't really like having me around. They claimed it hampered their style with a non-family girl with them. Charlie didn't mind having me in their gang. Dan gave me more allowances than his older brothers did. And Ethan never left the house. While Alex and Brandon were in town, tensions were high when I escaped home to join them. When Alex and Brandon hit ten and joined the legion of Pokemon Trainers leaving the little town of Pallet in the region of Kanto, the tension lessened some. A couple years later, Charlie joined. Soon, it was just Dan and me.

Two years after Charlie left, Dan became old enough to pay a visit to Professor Oak and select his starter Pokemon. Dan stopped by my house on his way out. We stood on the porch a while, me with my arms crossed over my chest, holding back the tears that threatened to show and Dan with his hands thrust in his pockets. Backpack full of supplies slung over his shoulder, black hooded sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up past his beefy forearms, and single Pokeball attached to his belt.

"You're leaving?" I asked. I could barely contain the sob that formed in my chest.

"Yeah." Dan said. He gave me a weak smile. I knew he wasn't happy about this either. "I'll be back though."

"When?"

"Just soon. You'll see me. I promise."

I had to look up at him. Dan was two years older than me, five and a quarter inches taller, and about thirty pounds heavier. Dan could easily pick me up with one arm if he wanted to. And, with that wanting to, he could also take me away with him on his Pokemon adventures. Then, we could come back in two years and I could get my own starter Pokemon from Professor Oak. As it was, Dan could be arrested by Officer Jenny for kidnapping and Mom probably wouldn't let me go Pokemon Training again after that.

"Hey." Dan said, gently. He wrapped on arm around my shoulders and hauled me close. "Don't cry for me, Ty. In two years, I'll come back and get you. I promise."

I trusted him, even though I shouldn't have. Because when my two years were up, Dan didn't come back for me. I couldn't help but feel betrayed.


	2. Chapter 2

_Here is my rendition of Pokemon. Warning, some content may not be acceptable to all readers. If you do not like or approve of cussing, do not read this story as there will be plenty of that in here. if you don't mind cussing, then i welcome you to read it. also, i will never go as far as to use offensive cusswords like the n, f, and c words. hell, shit, damn, bitch, and bastard are open season for me.  
_

_I do not own Pokemon. Tyler and Brody are mine. So is everyone else who isn't listed in the Pokemon database as a Trainer._

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Sunlight streamed in through my east-facing, bedroom window and cut through my eyelids to my sleep-induced eyes. I growled in frustration and rolled over to my other side in an attempt to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, my plans were ruined by the obnoxious beeping from my alarm clock. I let out another growl and slapped the alarm off. But I still just lay on my side, arm draped over the edge of my bed, and waited for the desire to get up to surface.

I'm not what you would call a morning person. I've never been a morning person. To me, mornings were evil and such evil should never exist.

I shut my eyes, willing myself to go back to sleep, but it seemed like there were forces working against me. I became aware of two things.

One, there was something smooth, cold, and hard pressing against my spine. There was also something cool wrapped around my left ankle. It took me a moment to remember I had gone to sleep with a Squirtle in my bed last night. That fact annoyed me to no end.

The Squirtle, in question, started out the same way most other Pokemon start out: in an egg. This egg had been handed off to a boy named Billy who was supposed to take it from Viridian City to the town of Pallet. Billy made it to Pallet, but the egg had already hatched during transport. Billy had himself a baby Squirtle who never spent any time in a Pokeball. Billy preferred to carry the little turtle Pokemon around on his shoulders or on his back. As a result, the Pokemon became accustomed to physical contact.

When Billy came into Pallet Town in time to head off for the Pokemon League Championship, he dropped the Squirtle off at our rehabilitation center. The Squirtle immediately latched onto me when Billy passed it over the counter and I hadn't been able to shake it off since.

The Pokemon League Championship is only supposed to take up a week and we have a two-week holding policy. The PLC already came and went and Billy was way past the two-week holding policy. So far, we hadn't seen hide nor hair of Billy and I started to wonder if maybe Billy abandoned the poor Squirtle. God, I hope he hadn't.

The second thing I became aware of was a loud whining sound outside my door. Whining followed by heavy panting. I knew the other inmate – a white-furred, dog-like Pokemon whose breed had not yet been identified – was awake, now too. Like the Squirtle before it, this Pokemon had also grown attached to me. Or, rather, it got attached to any person it saw. Any person who was willing to pet it or scratch it behind the ear or throw a ball around the yard for it to chase.

"Tyler! Are you awake yet?" My dad said, knocking on the door.

There's Dad for you. Right on the button at 7:05am, he always comes back to see if I'm awake. The answer is usually yes but I don't actually answer.

"Tyler, time to get started on your chores." Dad said, giving the door one last pound with his fist.

I grumbled dark words under my breath, sat up, uncoiled the Squirtle's tail from around my ankle, and slipped out of bed; dashing across the room to retrieve my clothes from a pile on my floor.

Big mistake.

The Squirtle's intelligent-looking, brown eyes snapped open. It sent up a wail, paws extended toward me with grabby little claws making grabby little motions.

I ignored it as best I could, a task which proved difficult when the white-furred Pokemon outside my door started adding its two-cents by howling.

"AHWOOO!"

"Shut up!" I shrieked. "Goddamn! I just got up! Can't you two just shut up for two minutes while I get dressed?"

"Tyler." Dad said in warning. "Don't be using that language! Now get out here and start on your chores."

I heard him pick up the unusual Pokemon outside my room. I turned to face the door and stuck my tongue out at him. Thankfully, Dad didn't see.

I hadn't always been like this. Aside from rebellious moments when I hung out with the Santos boys, I was a fairly happy child. Now, I'm fifteen and I still hadn't gone out on a Pokemon Adventure. Everybody else my age had already participated in a few different PLC's. Not me. I was stuck here at home assisting Dad and Brody with the PRC – Pokemon Rehabilitation Center. Dad says he's the brains, I'm the heart, and Brody is the muscle of the operation. That's pretty much all true. Except for the part about me being the heart. I hadn't had much room in my heart for the past few years. Not since Mom left, I guess.

A few years back when I was nine, Mom was called off on an adventure outside the PRC. She told Brody and me to be good for Dad and help him before taking off. It's been six years and we hadn't seen her since. Now, it was just the three of us with a bunch of Pokemon to take care of. I used to say Mom just got tired of this boring existence and took off. Brody told me he would deck me if I said that again as he was sure Mom just got lost. But nobody's found her yet and our future was looking a little bleak.

Why was it bleak? Because since Mom disappeared, Dad decided he didn't want Brody or I out there in the world looking for Pokemon. He needed both of us here to help him with the PRC. I threw a fit when I turned ten and Dad said I couldn't head off to Professor Oak's office to get my starter Pokemon. Brody hadn't really wanted to go Pokemon training anyway, so – as usual – he stood in the doorway and shook his head at me.

Everyday since, I dreamed about being out there on my own, camping under the stars with my Pokemon nestled in their balls waiting to be called upon to compete in a battle against the next trainer I came across. Then I wake up to the same, grimy, boring present where my days are always the same. The moment I get up in the morning, my chores begin.

The Squirtle started whining again. I shot it a "shut the hell up" look. Then, I snatched up a t-shirt, denim shorts, socks, and shoes and put them on. Then, after twisting my hair up into a ponytail, and throwing my favorite hat on my head, I went back to the Squirtle and let it climb onto my shoulders.

"Tyler!" Dad yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back.

"You had better be."

I ignored that statement. It didn't really matter anyway.

I stomped down the stairs with the baby Squirtle balanced precariously on my shoulders, its claws buried into the sides of my hat. Brody was at the table with an English muffin and half an apple in front of him. He shoved a toasted, cinnamon-raisin bagel smeared with cream cheese at me without breaking from eating. We didn't say a word to each other. I grabbed the bagel and ate it while sitting apart from my brother; eyes down so I didn't have to look at the perfect sibling I could never measure up to.

Dad wandered into the kitchen carrying the white-furred Pokemon under his arm. It looked like a small dog but had the demeanor of a hyena. Its body was mostly white with a bit of silver on its face, belly, and paws. Its eyes and nose were ruby-hued, and its fur stuck out at odd angles on its hindquarters and tail. We weren't exactly sure what it was but the owner wanted us to keep a hold of it until her return from some far off island. Dad graciously extended the two-week holding policy to four weeks. I was guessing because the lady slapped a bunch of money on the counter – enough to get Dad to reconsider the policy in her favor.

"You're late, Ty." Dad said.

I drained my milk, wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, and shrugged while putting my dishes in the sink.

"Don't shrug at me, Ty. You were supposed to be up and about ten minutes ago. And you really need to stop yelling at the Pokemon like that. That Squirtle is a baby and this Pokemon misses its owner. You're the closest thing they have to what they miss." Dad said.

"Why do they get attached to me, anyway? It's not like I wear a sign saying 'Here I am! Grab onto me!'" I pointed to Brody. "He resembles Billy more than I do! Why doesn't the Squirtle take to him?"

"You would be complaining if it did." Dad said.

I said nothing because that's actually true. I wouldn't be happy with either choice the Squirtle made. If it settled on being near me, I would be complaining because it wanted to be near me. If it chose Brody, I would be complaining because I thought Brody was better than me.

If I had it my way, the Squirtle would've stayed out in the water Pokemon kennel. We tried that and it wailed all night until I came out and got it. The only reason why I got it was to get some peace and quiet. The other Pokemon started adding their two-cents and Officer Jenny got calls from our neighbors, demanding she settle the problem.

"I'm sorry, but this neighborhood has noise ordinances. You're going to have to do something about that Pokemon." Officer Jenny said, officiously.

"Fine!" I said, stomping to the aquatic kennel. "I'll take care of it."

At the kennel, I whipped my ID card out of my short's pocket and scanned it, then stomped to the watery cage where the Squirtle was still bawling, opened the grate, yanked it out and roughly removing the tracking collar around its neck, and stomped back up to the house; slamming the kennel door behind me. I didn't stick around long enough to see if the alarm engaged.

"There. Happy?" I asked Officer Jenny. The Pokemon in the kennels had grown silent now that the Squirtle was no longer screaming.

Officer Jenny stared at me. I knew I was being disrespectful to an officer of the peace, but at that point I didn't really care. Jenny could kind of understand why I was being the way I was. She was pretty close to my mom. Mom's disappearance had been hard for all of us. And Dan's betrayal toward me only made me more aggressive.

Jenny ruffled my hair and bade me good night.

Since that night, the Squirtle continued to cling to me. He shared my bed and pillow with me at night. He accompanied me during my chores and during meals. And while it was precious and cute in the beginning, I couldn't help but wonder when Billy was coming back for it.

I kept my head down while I ate breakfast; listening to Dad tell Brody to extend the fire-type Pokemon corral. Dad didn't usually have extra chores for me. For the most part, my chores were all the same. Except when the inmates were retrieved by their masters and new Pokemon were brought in. Once those new inmates were brought in or taken away, some new chore was added or taken away from my list. Otherwise, my chore list didn't change.

I stood up, rinsed by bowl out in the sink, hauled the Squirtle up to my shoulder, and went out to the kennels to begin my chores. I started at the closest kennel house, earth, and let all the rock Pokemon out to the corrals, then worked my way down to the last kennel house, normal. Once all the Pokemon was outside, I went to work with the rest of my chores.

First I picked the kennels clean of fecal matter, washed bedding and hosed each room down. Then, I scooped food and filled water buckets. By the time I was done with the last kennel, it was past lunch time. I was soaking wet, tired, and hungry.

In the fire kennel, Dad left a sack lunch for me and I sat in the tack room and ate; breaking off pieces of my sandwich for the Squirtle to eat. From my sack, I removed a bottle of milk, poured some on a small dish, soaked a clean rag in the liquid, and gave it to the Squirtle. Squirtle sucked on the rag until it was dry and I dipped it in the milk again. Then, when lunch was done, I went out to the kennel with a first-aid kit and began checking on the injured Pokemon. It was then that I saw it.

An Arcanine.

The majestic creature ran across the field in a blaze of glory. Mane and tail of fire flowing out behind it. I was overcome by the beauty of this magnificent creature. Dad told me Arcanine were the most favored of Pokemon and I could understand the appeal. Arcanine were beautiful creatures; loyal, strong, brave. I immediately wanted it.

As far as I knew, the Arcanine didn't belong to anyone. Someone had called Dad and told him of an injured Arcanine. Dad took Brody and me to the scene and, indeed, the Arcanine was very injured. It's red and black striped fur covered the deep lacerations on its body and we believe it had been trapped in a poaching net at one time, somehow managing to free itself nearly at the cost of its life. The caller happened to be the owner of a nearby Tauros ranch. She said when she went out to check on the pregnant Tauros, she noticed the herd was acting very uneasy, which was unusual for her stock and went to check it out. She told Dad he could do what he pleased with the Arcanine when he was done with it because she didn't want it.

After a shitload of surgeries which included a shitload of sutures, Dad released it in the fire kennel and told me to keep the injuries clean. Once it woke up from the anesthesia, we realized it was friendly and Dad had it listed as "adoptable" with the "wild release" option attached. Both meant that by the time it was healed from its injuries, it could either be adopted by a trainer or released back into the wild.

I stared after the Arcanine as it danced across the fire corral; tongue lolling out of its mouth and a dopey grin on its face. I smiled as I thought about having that same creature run alongside me. I wanted to be its master and I knew I could do it, too.

"Arcanine!" I called after it.

"Nine! Arcanine!" It barked in return and changed direction.

I sat on a bench which was positioned against the fire-retardant fence and waited for it to approach. In my seated position, Arcanine and I could see exactly eye to eye and I noticed just how intelligent the creature appeared to be in those beautiful orbs.

I reached out and touched it's fiery mane. "I'm going to take a look at your injuries." I told it. "I hope you don't mind."

"Nine. Arcanine." It said, shaking its head.

It never ceased to amaze me just how much Pokemon actually understand when we speak with them. Some trainers don't understand just how many English words are in a Pokemon's vocabulary. It doesn't take much to talk to them. In fact, it's almost like talking to a friend. Just, a little more one-sided than most conversations.

The Arcanine turned so its injuries were facing me. With gentle fingers, I parted the fur and stared at the red lines running at varying lengths, widths, and angles across its saddle, haunches, and sides. Many of the lacerations were already scarring and didn't need sutures any more so I cut the cords out with the smallest blade of my pocket knife. Then, I patted the Arcanine on the head when I was finished.

"I'm sorry if that hurt." I said.

"Nine." Arcanine said, giving me a dopey grin. He licked my face with a very hot tongue.

I chuckled and wiped my face off.

"Hey Ty. What's up?"

My breath caught in my chest at the sound of the voice behind me.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I've run out of ideas for this one but now i'm back. i'm sad to say i probably will be working on this off and on b/c i'm working on three other stories at the same time. anyway, here's chapter three of Adventures in Kanto._

_Also, this has some coarse language. i'm going to keep it at t because the coarse langauge only occurs a couple of times in this chapter. and probably a few chapters afterward._

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Pokemon. If you haven't heard of a particular character, assume it's mine._

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

I looked over my shoulder at the speaker. For a moment, I thought I was imagining things. There were two boys standing on the other side of the fire-retardant fence. One was tall and gangly with a mean-spirited look to him, and the other was short, a teensy bit bulky, and a bored expression on his face.

My heart skipped a beat before I realized the boy I was now eyeballing was not who I thought he was. The video game t-shirts and the dark glasses pushing back his black hair was what gave him away; making me recognize him as Ethan Santos, the younger brother of Dan. The other boy I didn't know very well personally, but everyone in this neighborhood knew him as Danger Drake. He was called that because it was dangerous to be in the same room with Drake. Drake had anger management issues.

Dan once informed me no one in his family could stand being around Drake, especially Ethan. Drake was the kind of person mothers warn their kids about, just like the Santos kids. But unlike the Santos kids, Drake was perhaps _the_ worst kid in the entire neighborhood.

Drake didn't just have a quick temper, he was also loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and half the words that came out of his mouth was just plain inappropriate. Especially towards women and I happened to be one.

"Buzz off. I'm busy." I said. I wouldn't have been so rude if it was just Ethan standing there. But since Drake was with him, I didn't really care too much about manners. Drake wouldn't mind his manners either.

"Ah, don't be like that, Ty. We're just here to see what you're up to." Ethan said.

The fact Ethan was even with Drake stunned me. Ethan spent half his life in his house, only too happy just to sit on his beanbag chair with a game controller in his hand. Sometimes he went out paint-balling with the other kids in a vacant lot not far from here. I started wondering if maybe Drake and Ethan started hanging out together because of the paint-balling skirmishes in the vacant lot.

"What do you care?" I asked, giving the Arcanine one last pat before sending it out to the corral.

"No reason. It's just we haven't seen you in a while." Ethan said. He looked serious and Drake was looking at me like I was dessert.

"Stuff like that happens sometimes, Ethan." I said. I stood up off the bench and scanned the corral for any of the other injured Pokémon. I knew we had a few in the fire kennel. Then, I spotted a Charmeleon with a burn on its paw and called for it to come over.

"Well, it shouldn't have happened to us." Ethan pointed out. "I mean, we're friends. Aren't we, Ty?"

"Why are you asking me?" I asked.

"No reason."

I peeled back the bandage on the Charmeleon's paw, slathered it with a cooling elixir, re-bandaged it, and sent the Pokémon back out to join the rest.

"There has to be a reason."

"Well, now that you put it that way . . ."

"Oh God! I hate when someone like you says that." I put in.

Ethan grinned. I realized that he was teasing me. Ethan and I had gotten along fairly well as kids back when I hung out with the Santos kids. Ethan was the only boy mothers had nothing against because Ethan didn't do anything bad. Everything he did was legal, even paint-balling. Sometimes, Ethan would hand me a game controller and we would duke it out on the big screen tv parked in his room; he in his favorite beanbag chair, and me in the gaming chair.

"Actually, Ty, Drake and I came around to see if you needed help." Ethan finally said.

"What? You mean like a job?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

I was surprised Drake hadn't been saying anything. Usually Drake had something to say. Maybe Ethan warned him to keep his inappropriate mouth shut before I set one of the Pokémon on them.

I was eying Drake, expecting a response. When none came, I looked back at Ethan. Then, I stood up, took my first aid kit under my arm, and left by the gate.

"Gee, I don't know, Ethan." I finally said. "You can't play video games here."

"That's okay. Mom's been limiting the amount of time I spend playing games. She says I need a job if I'm going to keep playing paintball and games."

I had wondered when Mrs Santos was going to do that.

The boys followed me to a corral separate from the rest of the Fire-type Pokémon. It was basically a barn with a small pasture built into the side. That was where kept the Rapidash and Ponyta – far away from the other Pokémon who might target them. I found the Rapidash with the cracked cornet band and hefted the halter from its hook.

"What kind of work are you looking for?" I asked.

"Anything." Drake said.

"You don't really mean that." I told him.

Ethan took over from there. "I kinda wanted to do Kennel Assistant." He said.

I thought about it. Technically, I was the Kennel Manager. As Kennel Manager, I was given power to hire anyone I wanted to. While Ethan would have been an okay choice, I didn't like the idea of Drake helping with the Pokémon. I was sure I could probably keep both of them in the background so they wouldn't have to communicate with the customers, but Drake had his own set of rules. And there was no guarantee he would be reliable enough to keep this job.

"Do you know anything about taking care of Pokémon?" I asked by way of interviewing them.

"No. But I read about it in a book once." Ethan said.

"How hard can it fucking be?" Drake asked.

I fixed Drake with a glare. "It's harder than you think." I said to him. Then, to Ethan, I said, "Theory is much different than practice. I can teach you how to do your job but you have to be willing to learn and follow the rules _exactly_ as I tell you to."

"Will do." Ethan said, eagerly.

Drake shrugged.

_This isn't going well._ I thought, still eying Drake.

"Oh, by the way, Drake, if I'm going to hire you, you need to watch your mouth." I told him.

"God! You have to be fucking kidding me!" Drake said, his face reddening in anger.

"No. I'm not." I said. "We don't put up with that kind of language here. It reflects badly to the customers. Especially the f-word. The customers will think you're a bad influence and will stop bringing their Pokémon around. So, either watch your mouth, or get out of here."

Since Drake didn't move, I was sure I had finally gotten through to him.

"Fine. You're hired. I expect you both here bright and early." I said. "You'll work mornings and evenings. You'll get paid six dollars an hour."

"Six dollars!" Drake shrieked. "How does that work out?"

"It works out pretty well." I said. I crossed my arms. "And that's my best offer. Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it." Ethan said.

"Good." I said. I handed Ethan the halter. "You two can start by bringing that Rapidash over to the Stockade. I have to fix her cornet band. If her foal follows, that's okay."

Ethan and Drake went in and I watched them from the doorway of the barn. They slowly approached the Rapidash, Ethan speaking to her in a low, calming voice. The Rapidash nickered but didn't run and Ethan slipped the halter over her horned head and clasped the chinstrap. He took the lead rope and clicked to her with his tongue; leading her to the three sided Stockade and tied her to the wall. Her foal followed them.

"What now?" Drake asked. "Are you going to teach us how to treat an injured Pokémon ?"

"No. The actual treating is Dad's job. My job is to check injuries, add medicine and rebandage as needed. You won't be getting into the medicine unless otherwise instructed, and _only_ as instructed. Your duties will include washing the kennels, feeding and watering the animals, as well as turning them out to the corrals and let them back in at night. We start working at seven-thirty. I expect you to be here by then tomorrow morning and everyday after that." I said.

Drake grumbled something under his breath I didn't catch. Maybe it was best I didn't or I probably would have changed my mind about hiring Drake.

I busied myself with putting on my farrier apron and gathering my tools. As I came up to the Rapidash, I spoke calmly to her; letting her know I meant her no harm. Then, I picked up her foot and trimmed the hoof down a little, rasped it smooth, put the hoof down, and smeared ointment across the crack. Then, I did the same for the other three hooves, being careful not to trim too short or rasp too fine. Once I was done, Ethan turned her loose and she turned away with her colt right beside her. A glorious sight to see.

I spent the rest of the day teaching Ethan and Drake the ropes. Ethan was an astute student. He paid attention to any and all details I had to give them. Drake wasn't so easy. Then again, I didn't think he was trying very hard. I was beginning to question my choice in hiring him. Would it be wrong to let him go _now_? We hadn't actually finalized anything yet so I could let him go an there would be no record of employment here for him. I made a mental note to keep him on probationary work for a while—watch his attitude and behavior around people and Pokémon—and keep a three strikes rule. By the time I was done teaching them, it was about suppertime.

We let the Pokémon in—the boys followed me around since I was the only one with active security clearance—and I sent them away, telling them we'd get things figured out when they were done with morning chores.

"What kinds of things?" Ethan said, inquisitively.

"Paperwork mostly. Background information, health information, contact numbers. You'll also be getting your pictures taken so you can work in the kennels." I said. I held up my ID card. Dad had them made alone with the security features on the kennels after reports about Pokémon thieves had become so widespread. It made Dad nervous. "These cards will get you into any area of the clinic and clinic grounds except for the pharmaceuticals room. That is only acceptable to authorized personnel like me and my dad and his assistants. That room, in particular, is double coded with four security features so even if you stole my card, you couldn't get in there."

Drake muttered something that sounded like "Stupid-ass rules". I ignored him.

"Your cards will have low-level security features. I'll show you what areas you can get into tomorrow." I said.

"Thanks, Ty." Ethan said.

"Yeah, thanks." said Drake.

"I'll see you two bright and early tomorrow. Come ready to work." I said.

"Sure thing." Ethan said. He looked eager to begin. Drake looked indifferent.

As they turned and headed to their homes, Ethan stopped and turned to look at me. "Hey, Tyler. Just wanted to let you know, Dan won the tournament in the Johto region. He said he was thinking of you and he says hi."

"Thanks." I said, my heart leaping in my chest.

No matter how much I hated him for abandoning me, I couldn't get over how much I loved him. I just wished he would visit every so often, was all. And when he'd make good on his promise.

I sighed. Pining for him was going to do no good, no matter how much I wanted it to. I shoved my hands in my pockets and trudged back up to the house. There, I was immediately assaulted with questions from both Dad and Brody.

"Who were those boys?"

"Why was I with them?"

"What did they want?"

After I told Dad I had hired them, he was less than receptive—especially after hearing that one of them was Danger Drake. My dad's dark eyes darkened to a neat shade of black. I never realized how alike he and I were in terms of temperament. Short fuses ran in the family apparently.

"Don't hire him, Ty." Dad said, sternly.

"Already did." I told him.

"Then fire him!" Dad said. "You can't trust Drake with people much less Pokémon."

"We don't know that!" I said defensively.

"Tyler!" Dad snapped.

"Dad, look. I'll keep an eye on him. I'll live by the three-strikes rule. After that, he's gone. I promise. Just trust me on this. Besides, I could use the help." I said.

Dad stared at me before finally relenting. I did need the help. I was overworked as it was. I didn't have any doubt that Ethan would be kept. Drake, probably not. I was taking a big risk hiring him but I was sure it would be fine.

Or would it?


End file.
